Damian Lillard has left a deep stamp on the NBA world. Last season, he erupted for 71 points and people were surprised and yet not surprised. He has a limitless range, and he has hit his fair share of clutch shots. In fact, his “Dame Time” clutch performances have a cult status. The Guard is one of the most well-rounded offensive players the league has ever seen. But no journey is charted alone. Although he has had a limited Playoff success, some triumphs have been nonetheless impressive. 

The scintillating scorer recalls one of his teammates with whom he had many great moments. He knew that they would separate soon.

Damian Lillard knew it all along

The best run that a Damian Lillard-Trail Blazers squad has made came in 2019. He led the team to the Conference Finals, but unfortunately for him, the Warriors were in their way. As Stephen Curry made shot after shot, the team had nowhere to hide and lost the series in just four games. Apart from the 2019 West Finals, the team has three Conference Semis appearances, buried between a lot of first-round exits.

Since the last two seasons, the team hasn’t been able to even make the Play-in tournament. One of the major catalysts during their playoff runs was CJ McCollum.

The 32-year high-scoring SG meshed well with Lillard and averaged 20+ points during multiple seasons. However, the lack of playoff results meant that they had to go separate ways. Last year in February, the Blazers traded him to the Pelicans. This ended a remarkable eight-year partnership. DAME DOLLA claims that he knew about an imminent trade of McCollum all along. He went to the YouTube channel Come and Talk 2 Me’s show, It is What It is. Here he joined the rap duo Cam’ron and Mase alongside Treasure “Stat Baby” Wilson. Cam’ron asked, “Do you think they got rid of CJ McCollum because Simons started playing good?”

Dame replied, “No, I don’t think so. I think me and CJ were in backcourt for like eight years. And we both was making a lot of money. But we were like-size, our game was real similar. You know I feel they knew that it was time for us to figure out a different situation. Me and CJ have talked about that for years. We knew that this was gonna happen”. Both the players knew they had to pursue their dreams away from each other.

A change in landscape

He continued, “If it was ever anybody to be a partner with. You know we was transparent. We had open conversations about everything. It was me and him. We knew this was coming. We knew it was a possibility and when it came, it wasn’t a shocker. Me and him was on the phone, the night before he got traded, like tomorrow, I think it was gonna happen. We knew that it had to happen because it didn’t work out for many years. It was like alright we gotta pivot and try what’s next.”

READ MORE: Did No.3 Draft Pick Scoot Henderson Play a Role in Damian Lillard’s Miami Trade Request? The Blazers Star Finally Comes Clean

Now Lillard is also looking for a change in his location. Will he get his wish soon?

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